Strategies and examples of how to teach nonfiction
If we want students to read the world and expository texts, they must be taught the necessary skills. Scaffolded instruction and gradual release of responsibility encompasses the model that guides students to become critical thinkers within their world. According to Palmer and Steward, there are three models of teaching nonfiction. All three models are steps toward student independence with taking a critical view of information. 1. Teacher directed instruction (Palmer, 428) 2. Scaffolded student investigation 3. Independent student investigation
Exposure and immersion in nonfiction includes providing students with meaningful activities as presentation tools. Valuable, differentiated activities...
BOLD ACTIVITIES to discuss with more detail during paper Podcasts and other technology
KWL charts
research projects
graphic organizers
lessons on components of nonfiction
Chapter 9 in Reading to Learn Across Content Areas discusses these activities
3-2-1 chart
Idea circles--peer led discussions (Moss, 52)
Quick writes
Read alouds Learning logs-- notebooks to record/informational writing activity (Moss, 52)
Scholastic, Weekly Reader, Mailbox, Discovery.com
Reader's Theatre lessons/Activities of nonfiction--main idea, details, determining importance
Vocabulary Development http://academic.cengage.com/education/richardson (Vocabulary Intervention)
Reading to Learn in the Content Areas
Graphic Organizers (299)
Cloze Procedures
Word Inventories
Strategies for Reading Online (296)
Palmer and Stewart (2003) discuss the importance of finding age appropriate materials for students and cited a classroom teacher who collected 17 nonfiction books for her 3rd graders, but a majority of those books were of 4th and 5th grade reading level.
Students need access to trade books
Motivating projects--choice (diorama, poster,etc)
Teachers need to collaborate and form partnerships
Weaving Reader's Theater into Science (Rasinski, 2003, pg.115)
"Reader's theater can be used in any content area." Rasinski (2003) uses an example from Ken Beuther, a middle school science teacher with a reading background. Beuther will write scripts that will "summarize and extend" (Rasinski, 2003, pg. 115) what he has recently taught. A script that Beuther wrote, called "The Adventures of Cell Boy" - a story about plant biology. Another teacher Rasinski writes about is a fifth grade teacher who used the solar system as a way to create a Reader's Theatre performance for his students. Each planet was a main character. All the performances were done several times and each student loved to do them. (Rasinski, 2003, pg. 115)
Rasinski (2003) also suggests that students can create their own scripts about particular content topics.
Ask high level thinking questions - use questions that start, "Why do you think..." "What do you think.." or "Have you ever..."
Questions can be student generated
Hands on experiences with nonfiction - example used in article - Butterfly study
Reading-Writing connections - newspaper articles or press releases, write letters to the editor, put together a newspaper
Interactive read-alouds
Interest groups
Purposeful writing - create brochures, posters
Innovations - use current text and create a new one - example Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See? Mrs. Morlock's Class, Mrs. Morlock's Class, What Do You See?
Shared Readings
Compare and Contrast two different...
Write a poem
Create a journal entry as if you were the person, place or thing being discussed
PowerPoint Presentations
If we want students to read the world and expository texts, they must be taught the necessary skills. Scaffolded instruction and gradual release of responsibility encompasses the model that guides students to become critical thinkers within their world. According to Palmer and Steward, there are three models of teaching nonfiction. All three models are steps toward student independence with taking a critical view of information. 1. Teacher directed instruction (Palmer, 428) 2. Scaffolded student investigation 3. Independent student investigation
Exposure and immersion in nonfiction includes providing students with meaningful activities as presentation tools. Valuable, differentiated activities...
BOLD ACTIVITIES to discuss with more detail during paper
Podcasts and other technology
KWL charts
research projects
graphic organizers
lessons on components of nonfiction
Chapter 9 in Reading to Learn Across Content Areas discusses these activities
3-2-1 chart
Idea circles--peer led discussions (Moss, 52)
Quick writes
Read alouds
Learning logs-- notebooks to record/informational writing activity (Moss, 52)
Scholastic, Weekly Reader, Mailbox, Discovery.com
Reader's Theatre
lessons/Activities of nonfiction--main idea, details, determining importance
Vocabulary Development
http://academic.cengage.com/education/richardson (Vocabulary Intervention)
Reading to Learn in the Content Areas
Graphic Organizers (299)
Cloze Procedures
Word Inventories
Strategies for Reading Online (296)
Palmer and Stewart (2003) discuss the importance of finding age appropriate materials for students and cited a classroom teacher who collected 17 nonfiction books for her 3rd graders, but a majority of those books were of 4th and 5th grade reading level.
Students need access to trade books
Motivating projects--choice (diorama, poster,etc)
Teachers need to collaborate and form partnerships
Weaving Reader's Theater into Science (Rasinski, 2003, pg.115)
"Reader's theater can be used in any content area." Rasinski (2003) uses an example from Ken Beuther, a middle school science teacher with a reading background. Beuther will write scripts that will "summarize and extend" (Rasinski, 2003, pg. 115) what he has recently taught. A script that Beuther wrote, called "The Adventures of Cell Boy" - a story about plant biology. Another teacher Rasinski writes about is a fifth grade teacher who used the solar system as a way to create a Reader's Theatre performance for his students. Each planet was a main character. All the performances were done several times and each student loved to do them. (Rasinski, 2003, pg. 115)
Rasinski (2003) also suggests that students can create their own scripts about particular content topics.
Ask high level thinking questions - use questions that start, "Why do you think..." "What do you think.." or "Have you ever..."
Questions can be student generated
Hands on experiences with nonfiction - example used in article - Butterfly study
Reading-Writing connections - newspaper articles or press releases, write letters to the editor, put together a newspaper
Interactive read-alouds
Interest groups
Purposeful writing - create brochures, posters
Innovations - use current text and create a new one - example Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See? Mrs. Morlock's Class, Mrs. Morlock's Class, What Do You See?
Shared Readings
Compare and Contrast two different...
Write a poem
Create a journal entry as if you were the person, place or thing being discussed
PowerPoint Presentations